December 30, 1918

I request you to receive the bearer, Comrade Prokofyev. His request—to requisition the Surkov library for a district of 40,000 people—seems to me correct; perhaps certain usage rights could be left to Surkov? I request you to send me a copy of your decision on this question, and I also request that you help the comrades from Rodniki in expanding their library. Could not one of the requisitioned landowner libraries be sent to them? I request you to inform me of this.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars
V. Ulyanov (Lenin)